Harry Potter and The Salem Institute
by MoonofFlames
Summary: The Order of the Phoenix sends Harry to another school for a few months - The Salem Institue of Magic located in America. Does he find an American love, or does he find something else?
1. Chapter 1: Hogwarts

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter concept or characters, however the plot and a few of the characters are mine. Just don't claim anything and we wont have to worry about what's whose.

Author's Note: This is my first attempt at a fan-fic in all honesty. I know this first chapter is slightly boring, slow (It was that way to write it too!), and uneventful, but it will pick up in the next chapter. It will pick up a lot. I promise!

Chapter 1

Harry's eyes darted excitedly toward the first few shops at the entrance of Diagon Alley. Stepping into the alley from the archway leading from the Leaky Cauldron, the lanky sixteen-year-old's face had exhilarated emotion plastered all over it. It was quite apparent that he was thrilled to be in the wizarding world again. That was a plausible assumption after what was certainly nothing less than the summer vacation from hell.

The trip from the Dursley's house to London was enough to categorize as hell in itself. Dudley complained of not having enough air in the car, though he was the one who filled the small vehicle's atmosphere with cigarette smoke, and did not have the common courtesy to roll down the window. Aunt Petunia tried to coax him into it, especially since she didn't approve of this unhealthy healthy habit, but he would not give in. It was a useless attempt really, because the horse-faced woman lacked the courage to put her foot down to her pig-faced son.

Once Harry escaped from the torture of the ride, he got himself a room at the Leaky Cauldron, then immediately out to Diagon Alley he went. As he strolled down the street, he ogled potential birthday gifts, wondering what Ron and Hermione would get him. He made his way through the crowded street toward the Gringotts Bank, as that was his intended destination when he departed from his room at the Leaky Cauldron.

In the bank, Harry withdrew enough money from the small fortune left by his parents to pay for his room, school supplies, and anything else he might want. The aforementioned want this time happened to be a box of a dozen chocolate frogs he purchased on his walk back in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron. As he passed the pet store though, he stopped to buy a bag of Hedwig's favorite brand of owl food, along with a handful of pinky mice which acted as treats for her.

Harry arrived back at his room, arms full of packages of treats for himself and Hedwig. In his room, along the wall left of the door was his queen-sized four-poster bed, complete with his trunk at the foot. Hedwig's cage stood empty atop it, causing Harry to look up in search of his snowy owl, just as she fluttered down from the rafters to perch upon his shoulder. On the wall parallel to the door, there was a simple window, curtains drawn back to let in the afternoon sunlight. Under the window was a desk, upon which sat a quill and ink vial, as usual. Now, however, there appeared to be something else there as well.

Harry set his packages on the bed, then half-stepped, half-leaped over to the desk. There it sat. To Harry, it was the most beautiful thing in the world: His Hogwart's letter.

The excited teen ripped open the envelope and removed two pieces of parchment. He quickly unfolded them and read to himself:

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to welcome you to your sixth year at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We are also pleased to announce that there will be a new contest beginning this year for a foreign exchange student program with the Salem Institute of Magic in America. Professor Dumbledore will explain in detail the elements of this contest at the Sorting Ceremony.

Also, included in this letter is a list of school supplies needed for the next year. We look forward to seeing you on September 1st.

Sincerely,

Professor M. McGonagall

Harry skimmed quickly over the list, hoping he had gotten enough money out of the bank to cover everything.

A loud knock came from the door making Harry jump and whirl around. Then, a familiar voice came, "Harry! Are you in there?"

A grin claimed Harry's formerly startled face as he shoved the list in his pocket and left the rest of the letter on the desk. The long-legged boy crossed the room in four steps and opened the door.

"Ron!" He said in the face of his red-haired best friend, who grinned to the same degree.

"Hiya Harry! Get your letter yet?" Ron asked enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I just read it. What's with that contest, eh?" Harry stepped back to let him in.

"It sounds like it would be fun, but I'd never get picked. Are you going to enter?" Ron asked.

"I doubt it. I'd rather be at Hogwarts with you and Hermione than at a school full of foreign people that I don't know but certainly know me," Harry chuckled. Ron looked slightly relieved.

"Oh," Ron perked up as he remembered something, "would you mind if I stayed in here with you tonight? I don't want mum and dad paying for another room for just me." Ron's ears went slightly pink. It was apparent that his family's money issues embarrassed him a little.

"Not at all," Harry replied. He felt guilty because the Weasleys were such nice people but did not have a lot of money, and Harry had a lot of money and nothing to do with it. "Is Hermione rooming with Ginny?"

"Yeah. Hermione stayed with us for the past week. You can imagine what fun that was," Ron's tone was sarcastic, but it was known among, well, everyone that he had a crush on Hermione. He just hid it well pretending to be annoying with her all the time.

"Let's head out and get our supplies before dinnertime," Harry said, motioning Ron out of the door and shutting it behind himself.

Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and Mr. and Mrs. Wealsey headed out into Diagon Alley. They all bought their supplies, and Harry's birthday presents. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley bought Harry a canister of wand-preserving polish and Ginny bought him a box of Blott's Every Flavor Bean. Hermione bought him a book, Famous Quidditch Plays, and when neither Hermione nor Mrs. Weasley were looking, Ron ran in a joke shop and bought Harry a handful of dungbombs.

Once the shopping was complete, the six headed back to the Leaky Cauldron for dinner: chicken pot pie and rice pudding. Dinner ended and Harry and Ron went upstairs to their room to pack most of their things before falling asleep. Harry knew that tomorrow would come soon, as would Hogwarts.

The light shone in through the drawn-curtained window when the morning came. Harry awoke and got up, drowsily rubbing the sleepy from his eyes as he stumbles into the washroom to bathe and dress. When finished, the black-haired teen went back into the bedroom to finish packing his things into his trunk, and he put an annoyed Hedwig back into her cage.

Harry gave her a pinky mouse, just as Ron rolled over in bed, snoring loudly. Harry looked at the grandfather clock on the wall to see that it was 8:00. _Might as well wake him up for breakfast_, Harry thought.

"Ron," He said, shaking his sleeping friend, "It's 8:00. You should get up and finish packing."

"I'm getting up," Ron mumbled into his pillow, only a clump of red hair visible.

"I'm going down to breakfast so don't fall asleep again," Harry said, stepping out the door and closing it behind him.

Downstairs, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley already sat at the large table in the crowded diner of the inn, and Hermione was just sitting down as well.

"Good Morning," Harry greeted them and they returned the greeting. Harry sat down beside Hermione just as four house elves brought out platter of eggs, bacon, toast, sausage, and muffins.

"Are you excited to go back to school, Harry?" Hermione asked him as she filled her plate.

"I always look forward to school. I could live without Snape and Malfoy, but I'm ready for Quidditch," Harry said, buttering a blueberry muffin.

"I think the world could live without Malfoy," Hermione replied.

The chatting at breakfast continued about random things: school, classes, Mr. Weasley's work. Ginny bounded down the stairs a few minutes into breakfast, her bright orange hair tied up in a ponytail.

Breakfast came to a close and Harry hoped that Ron didn't fall back asleep. It was just the moment that he thought of it that he heard the floorboards of the stairs squeak and crack above them. A drowsy-looking Ron appeared at the top of the stairs, hair wild and flying astray. He plopped down in the chair across from Harry.

"Why are you so tired, Ron? We went to bed early." Harry inquired, concerned for his friend.

"I couldn't sleep. That bed was lumpy and uncomfortable," Ron slurred his words as he shoved a piece of bacon into his mouth.

"I was fine," Harry replied. "Maybe you can sleep for a while on the train."

"I was planning on it," The redhead stated. "If I can get that much silence."

"Have you both packed all of your things?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Yeah, Dad. I'll help you carry them down as soon as I shove some muffins in my pocket."

"Atleast get a bag, Ron, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, tossing a paper bag in his direction.

"That woman's mad," Ron whispered to a standing Harry as his mother walked away.

The three men got all four trunk down to the car from the rooms upstairs without much trouble. Between all the trunks, pets, and people, there was only enough room because of the spacing charm places on it.

Everyone double-checked to make sure nothing was forgotten. When that was verified, all six piled into the car and left for the train station. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley took the front seat, and the four students squeezes into the back: Harry and Ron sat at either side with Hermione and Ginny in the middle.

The trip was droned with the chatter of excitement for the upcoming school year. The three six-years hoped that they'd have some classes together other than Potions, which was by far their most hated class.

When they arrived at the train station, it was crowded with muggles as usual. The group got their things ready on trolleys and went to the area between platforms 9 and 10. All six took their turn running toward the wall. The bricks vanished around them and they stepped out of the wall on the other side, looking straight at the large, red steam engine, donning the name The Hogwarts Express.

They filed in line by the storage compartment to load their trunk and pets. Other students and parents mobbed through the walkway, mumbling "excuse-me"s as they squeezes through tight spots.

"Here, my dears, I made sandwiches for all of you," Mrs. Weasley handed each of them a wrapped up lunch and gave them all hugs as well. Each tanked her and said their goodbyes before boarding the train.

The beginning of the train ride was uneventful and quiet for the most part. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Seamus all got a compartment together. Word got around that Dean had brought a wizard's chess board with him and everyone crowded into another compartment to play or watch the game. Ron had fallen asleep prior, and Hermione and Ginny went to watch. Harry Had been reading his new book by the window for quite some time, but finally he got up and stretched his legs, then headed toward the restroom at the end of train car.

Harry returned to the compartment to see Ron still asleep, but the words "My Name Is Weasel" were written across his white t-shirt.

"Ron, what happened to your shirt?" Harry asked, shaking him awake even though he already had a sneaking suspicion.

"Wha?" A half-asleep Ron answered, slightly confused. He looked down at his shirt and growled, "Damn that Malfoy bastard." Face as red as hair, the enraged boy snatched his robed from the over-head luggage basket and stalked off toward the restroom.

Harry sat down to open his book again as he heard the restroom door slam shut and an arrogant cackle come from the other direction. A platinum blond-haired boy of Harry's age appeared at the door of the compartment grinning malevolently.

"Can I help you, Malfoy?" Harry asked with an annoyed sigh.

"How did your friend like his t-shirt?" Malfoy sneered.

"He though it was quite classy, but I thought you preferred ferrets, not weasels," Harry stated matter-of-factly.

Malfoy's sneer turned into a hateful glare as he walked away.

Ron returned and Harry told him what happened. Ron, of course, though it was hilarious, as he did with any insult to Malfoy.

The remainder of the ride was fairly quick, as they were nearing Hogwarts with the incident happened. The trip over the lake was just as quick and uneventful. The excitement was thick enough to cut with a knife, as was the noise.

The Great Hall filled with students, their chatter a drone echoing off the walls as they took their seats at their house tables.

"I hope there aren't many of the first years to sort. I'm starving," Ron said, to Harry, raising his voice to be heard over the noise as they sat down beside each other. Ginny and Hermione sat across the table from them, close enough for Hermione to hear Ron's comment which she rolled her eyes to.

Everyone waited impatiently while the sorting procedure was explained to the first years. Finally, the two huge doors opened and the first years lined in, in double-file lines. They seemed amazed at the ceiling which was enchanted to look like the nice sky. It was the darkest blue, star-filled but moonless.

Harry's eyes darted down to the still filing first-years. They were already crowding at the head of the room, but there seemed to be no end to them. Ron groaned, clutching his stomach as if he were dying.

The sorting had sang its song which Harry paid little attention to and named were finally called.

"Tara Albany," Professor McGonagall called out and a tiny, sandy blond-haired girl stepped out of the crowd looking terrified.

"Ravenclaw!" The Sorting Hat exclaimed happily.

"Matthew Arnel," The professor said next.

"Hufflepuff!" The Sorting Hat cried out.

This process continued for the next hour and a half as a hundred and fifty-six first years were sorted. With each new name, Ron groaned loudly, bent over and holding his stomach. Harry noted that forty-four first years were made Gryffindors.

When the sorting was complete, Dumbledore stood up, "I was going to give the start of term announcements now, but I will wait until after we eat, so as poor Ron Weasley doesn't die of starvation over there." The old wizard grinned and motioned toward the moaning Ron.

"Yes! For the love of all that is good, feed me!" Ron yelled out. Many children laughed, and Harry heard a rude comment about not being able to afford food from a certain Malfoy across the room, but Ron's eyes lit up as the table began to fill with dishes of food. All of the students began filling their plates and chatting excitedly about the start of term. Hermione ate quickly so she had time to go down to each of the first years and introduce herself as one of the prefects. Most seemed timid, but there were a few brave souls in the first year crowd.

When everyone was nearly through eating, Dumbledore stood and tinked his goblet to hush the crowd. "Another year full of wonder and knowledge has come to us. I do have a few announcements to make. Firstly, your schedules for the new school year will be delivered to your dormitory in the morning. Please also note, first years, that extra parchment, ink, and quills are for sale in the library if you are to run out.

"Secondly, I'm sure many people have heard about the new contest Hogwarts is starting in an alliance with America. Students can enter into this contest nearly anything -- a fictional story, a nonfiction report, an original potion or charm; the possibilities are endless. The deadline for this contest is Friday, October 14th, and the winner will leave on November 1st. The entries will be judged on many elements, possibly including creativity, effectiveness, amount of work put into it, and originality. Of course, all of these will depend of what type of entry it is. All of the teachers along with myself will be judging this contest.

"Now, when you are finished eating, the heads of your houses will lead first years to the house towers."

Harry, who was looking at his plate, heard a voice inside his head. It said, _When everyone leaves, I need to see you._ Harry's eyes jerked up to Dumbledore, who was looking at him. The headmaster's head tilted in a nod, verifying to Harry that it was indeed his voice he'd heard in his mind.

A few minutes later, people began filing away with the house heads. "Come on, Harry," Hermione said as she got up, everyone else already standing.

"You guys go ahead. I'll be along in a few," Harry said, then added, "I have to do something."

"Okay..." Hermione hesitated and looked at him questioningly before following Ron and Ginny out of the Great Hall.

Harry looked back at the faculty table, but Dumbledore was gone. _Come to my office, _The old wizard's voice came again.

The black-haired teen stood up and put his hands in the front pocket of his hoodie as he began walking silently out of the Great Hall. He turned the corner to see Dumbledore standing next to the statue of the griffin, waiting.

They both entered the staircase of the griffin and Dumbledore said quietly, "Hippogriff hooves." The staircase moved upward at a slow and steady pace.

Harry followed the white-haired old wizard to his desk where they took a seat at either side.

"I suppose you're wondering what this is about," Dumbledore's kind eyes looked at Harry through his half-moon-shaped glasses.

"Yes, sir," Harry replied.

"Well, it is mostly about the contest. You see, it is designed to send you to America. The Order of the Phoenix has decided that it would be a good idea for you to become familiar with people from other countries, far away, to keep you safe if the need arose in the future. The Salem Institute of Magic is becoming a powerful school. But this is a secret matter decided by the Order. It is the entire point of the contest.

"Does that mean I don't have a choice? I'll have to enter the contest?" Harry asked, not particularly wanting to leave Hogwarts and not wanting the extra work either.

"No, there is no choice, Harry. But you will only be there until Holiday Break. And yes, you will have to enter the contest. But you see, Harry, only Professor McGonagall and myself know about this so the other will be voting honestly. I wrote this to make sure the other would vote well on you and not suspect anything. It is a report on werewolves. You need only to write it over in your hand," Dumbledore held out a rolled scroll, tied neatly by a single red ribbon.


	2. Chapter 2: Salem

Author's Note: This chapter is kinda short, but its got a lot of information in it. Also, if you want to know more about the fanfic, read my bio. I always include some more detail than usual.

Chapter Two

"Evie, isn't the entry deadline date for the contest tomorrow?" Amrie asked in her usual energetic voice.

"Yes, Amrie. How many times are you going to ask me that today?" Evie replied as patiently as possible, but Amrie had already stopped walking down the hall of The Salem Institute of Magic to talk to someone. "I swear, the girl's as smart as a book but doesn't remember what she said on the last page," Evie murmured.

"What, Evie? Sorry, I stopped to talk to Jake," Amrie asked as the two walked into the cafeteria.

"Nothing at all," Evie said innocently, getting into the salad line. She looked around, wondering to herself if she'd be the one to become a foreign exchange student. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry sounded like a whole new adventure to her. They had studied all of the European magic schools in their History of Magic class.

From her understanding, the European schools were also very medieval; the schools themselves were castles. The Salem Institute did not look particularly medieval, since it was a fairly new school. It was made up of two large stone and brick buildings, situated facing each other. Two glass-covered hallways ran along the ground connecting the two buildings and forming a large courtyard in the center. The larger building was the main school where classes were held. The other was the dormitory and cafeteria.

Evie got her salad and sat down with Amrie who had a hamburger.

"Do you know when the winner is supposed to be announced?" The red-headed girl asked, her vibrant hair clashing against her cerulean eyes and wings. Yes, wings. Amrie was a fairy of sorts everyone thought, but no one really knew for sure, not even Amrie herself. Amrie was just bouncy, energetic, everyone's-best-friend Amrie, plain and simple.

"Couldn't tell you," Evelynn said through her bite of tomato.

"I'm going to harass your dad until he tells me," Amrie said without missing a beat, half to her hamburger.

The next two weeks slugged by with an over-enthusiastic Amrie asking poor Headmaster Whittaker, Evie's father, who the winner of the contest was every time she saw him.

Finally, exactly two weeks after the entry deadline, Headmaster Whittaker stood at breakfast and raise his hands to get everyone's attention. "The winner of the Hogwarts contest has been confirmed. It has been a difficult choice, but I think all of the faculty agree fully. The winner is... Mr. Dominick Chase!"

A dead silence fell over the crowd and all eyes darted to the black-haired boy sitting by himself who glances around nervously, sinking back into his chair.

"Congratulations!" The Headmaster said with a forced chuckle.

Everyone started complaining loudly and angrily to their friends. The people at the tables around Dom were sure to elaborate on how much of a freak he was and how he did not deserve such a spectacular prize as a trip to Europe.

"Dominick's entry," the Headmaster said upon hearing the protests, "was an original potion. The potion he created rejuvenates owls' strength after long flights, and also allows them to talk for a short amount of time. We tested this on eleven owls, every one of which flew straight from the owl-post in San Francisco all the way here in Salem, Massachusetts. The potion worked on every single owl without fail. One even asked me for vodka instead of water!"

The initial reaction the Headmaster received was a blank stare before people started looking around and began muttering, "That is kind of cool, but its still Dominick..." and "That could help the owl-posts all over the world, but I spent over fifteen hours in all working on my report on the enchantment on Chocolate Frogs!"

Evelynn was certainly disappointed but she wasn't angry at Dominick. She could not understand why people were so mean and were such sore losers. She only wondered if he would find a better social status at Hogwarts than he'd achieved at Salem. He certainly deserved something for that potion.

The day of the Halloween Bash arrived, but all the morning of that day offered to Evelynn was a long visit to the library to work on her Charms and Transfiguration papers. She also had "Find fifteen ways to kill and repel vampires" for Defense Against the Dark Arts on her list of things to do.

Her studying was, of course, interrupted by her father coming in. "Evie, sunshine," He said, "Could you see Dominick off tomorrow, then welcome this new fellow when he arrives?"

"I may be able to, Dad, but I'm loaded with homework," Evie said, not looking up from her book.

"I just thought it would be best since you are the Student Body President," He said, faking a pathetic sadness.

She looked up at his kind, middle-aged face. "Okay, I'll do it," She caved, "but if I don't get my homework done, you get to explain the reason to Professor Bronswell and Professor Carter."

"Consider it done," He winked at her and left, his blue, green, and cream-swirled robed flowing behind him.

Evelynn looked down at her book again but did not resume studying. _Would life be different for me if Mom didn't disappear?_ She thought to herself. _Would I be here? Would this school even be here?_ But her questions went unanswered.

Everyone in the school showed up to the Halloween Bash. Even Dom was there though we was sitting by himself. The entire cafeteria was decorated for the holiday, and a long table sat on one side of the room cluttered with Halloween sweets and punch. Spooky music played from jack-o-lanterns, setting the moon.

At one point, the jack-o-lanterns started singing, which was Evie's queue to tell the news of the evening. Toward the end of the song, she stood on top of the table to get everyone's attention.

"...By the pricking of me thumbs, something wicked this way comes," The pumpkin quartet sang and the crowd clapped.

"We are proud to announce that large amounts of Dominick's potion have been made and sent to owl posts all over the world. Congratulations, Dominick," Evelynn smiled at him and he hesitantly nodded back at her. "Dom is leaving for Hogwarts tomorrow so everyone give him a fond farewell. And if I or one of the faculty hear any harassment, the harasser will receive detention. Have fun tonight everyone!"

Evelynn noticed a few people walk over and talk to Dom, shaking his hand, including Amrie.

The next morning, Evelynn went to Dominick's dorm room to make sure he was packed. She knocked politely and he opened the door wearing his black school robes.

"Good morning," Evie said. "I came to see if you needed any help with anything."

"I'm fine," Dom said in his deep voice, sounding clearly as though he never used it enough, then added a quick and quiet, "Thank you."

"Are you sure? I'll help you carry your luggage downstairs when you're done. May I come in?" She asked as friendly as possible.

Dom stepped aside to let her in before closing the door and walking back over to her trunk. Evelynn noticed that it was full of books.

"Do you like to read?" Evie asked, picking up Hogwarts, A History and looking at it.

"When you have no friends, you tend to keep company elsewhere," he replied, not looking up from his trunk.

"Why are you so alone, Dom? I don't understand it," Evelynn said, concerned.

"Because I am alone. No one does understand it or ever will unless they've been there too," He replied in a very monotonous speech, making him sound almost as if he were reading a script. Evie didn't quite understand what he meant, but she didn't push the subject.

Dominick finished packing, and Evelynn carried his owl downstairs as he got his trunk. They exited to the courtyard where the Headmaster waited.

"All packed up then?" He asked and Dom nodded.

Professor Carter was there also and casted a float and follow charm on Dominick's trunk.

"You're in charge, sunshine," the Headmaster said, winking at Evie as he always did. He and Dom mounted their brooms and after double checking the charms on the trunk, the two were off.


	3. Chapter 3: Salem

****

Author's Note: Took me a few days to write this one, though I think my timing wasn't too bad. I'm going to try to start and finish Chapter 4 before I leave (On December 26th) but I can't make any promises cause I also have to finish my book. ;) On another note, after the chapter I've made comments to all of my reviews because all reviews deserve much 3! :D

Chapter 3

"Harry, how _did_ you win that contest with a paper on werewolves?" Malfoy called from somewhere behind Harry between classes.

Harry turned around to face him, an insult about to roll off the tip of his tongue when he heard a soft-spoken, yet dominant voice from over his shoulder say, "Because Mr. Potter's paper was extremely long and well-written and it even had information that I did not know."

Harry turned back to the way he was originally walking to see Albus Dumbledore smiling in the face of a glaring Malfoy. Harry had to laugh to himself; seeing Malfoy with his feathers ruffled never ceased to amuse him.

"Ready to leave tomorrow, Harry?" The white-bearded old Headmaster smiled fondly at him.

"I suppose," Harry replied. "I just need to gather my owl tonight from the owlry."

Dumbledore nodded. "We will depart fairly early tomorrow. Should I send a wake up call?"

"Yes, please," Harry nodded. He and the old wizard parted ways, and the green-eyed teen completed his journey to Transfiguration. He took his seat beside Ron and behind Hermione, who was turned around in her chair.

"Why do you look so down, Harry?" Hermione asked, concern in her voice.

"I never really wanted to go. All those people I don't know. I wonder if they know about me and Voldemort," Harry half though out loud sadly.

"It'll only be for two months. Less than that really. Then you'll never have to see those people again," Ron said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But you two better keep your eyes open for Hedwig because I'll probably send letters every week," Harry stated as though no one could make him change that plan.

That night was Halloween at Hogwarts. The ceiling was dark like the night sky, a full moon visible. Bats occasionally flew across and the sounds of the leaves rustling in the breeze and a wolf's howl completed the spooky atmosphere. The four house tables were filled with plates, platters, and bowls, all over-flowing with candy, cakes, and punch.

Everyone ate, laughing, and talked before walking back to their dormitories, holding their full bellies. Harry had absolutely no problem going straight to sleep.

"Rise and shine!" A familiar voice came in Harry's ear, hands shaking him awake.

Harry opened one eye and looked into a pair of large ones between long, pointy ears. "Of all people in this castle, Dumbledore sends you to wake me up, Dobby?"

"Dobby wanted to say goodbye to Mister Harry Potter before he leaves, sir," Dobby sounded slightly hurt.

"Alright, but could you do me a favor and go to the owlry and get Hedwig? I forgot to do it last night," Harry requested groggily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Of course!" The house elf exclaimed, running out of the room.

Harry got up and changed into his robed before double-checking his luggage to make sure nothing was forgotten. Dobby returned with a befuddled Hedwig in her cage and helped Harry get his things downstairs.

Dumbledore and Flitwick stood waiting in the courtyard for Harry. Flitwick performed the same float-and-follow charm on Harry's belongings as had been casted on Dominick's. Finally, the student and headmaster began their journey to America. Dumbledore told Harry that they would be meeting the Salem Headmaster and the other student in Maine, and it would be a short flight from there.

The trip over the Atlantic was a good seven house, but Harry spend a lot of the time trying to think of things to do in his spare time incase he did not make any friends at Salem. When he got bored of that subject, he did flips and spirals through the air since he did, after all, love to fly. After a while of watching him, the old headmaster began doing flips and spirals also, the two of them balleting through the air gracefully, yet lacking control at the same time.

They arrived at the meeting place, an owl post hidden from muggles. They saw a middle-aged wizard leaning on his broom and a young black-haired teen doing the same but with a book in his hand.

"Good morning!" Headmaster Whittaker called, running up to shake hands with Dumbledore, then Harry. "You must be Harry. I'm Isaiah Whittaker, the headmaster of the Salem Institute of Magic. Its wonderful to meet you."

All four strangers politely exchanged greetings with each other before parting ways. Harry went with Whittaker and Dominick went with Dumbledore.

The rest of the trip for Harry was indeed short. The Institute came into view through the clouds and between the trees. It was definitely not as grand as Hogwarts, but Harry was still very excited.

They landed in the courtyard to be greeted by a pretty girl around Harry's age; she was definitely a student. Her hair was short and curly, brown trinkled with blonde, bringing out her eyes--one blue and one violet.

"This is my daughter, Evelynn," Headmaster Whittaker said. "She is the President of the Student Body, and I asked her to show you around and help you in all ways possible. The Headmaster nodded and went inside the building.

"Hi," Evelynn said. "What's your name?"

"Harry Potter," He replied, half expecting her to freak out and begin yelling about "_The_ Harry Potter".

She did not though, only replied, "Oh. As my dad said, my name is Evelynn or Evie. I'll show you your dorm room, give you a tore of the school, and you can rest and unpack today. Tomorrow during first class, you and I will go to the library and I'll answer any questions you have about the school. Kay?"

"Sounds good," Harry grinned at her, but not in a flirtatious way, despite the fact the he though she was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. Maybe that grin was a little too obviously not flirtatious.

Harry followed Evelynn through the courtyard toward one of the stone and brick buildings. Once inside, they went up several flights of red-carpeted stairs. Finally, they left the stairwell on the fifth floor and entered a hallway. At the door, the hallway went both left and right. At both ends, another hallway branched out away from them, shaping the corridor like a block-letter 'u' and forming access to four rows of doors. Evelynn turned to the right, then to the left down the long hallway.

Harry could not help but notice the way Evelynn walked; it was much more seductive than that of modest English girls. He became hypnotized by the sway of her hip under her red robes that he almost walked into her when she stopped in front of a door with a large silver number 512 on it.

"This is your room," Evelynn opened the door and smiled at him. "Your roommate's name is Stephen, but he's likely asleep."

Harry stepped into the room and looked around. There were two large wooden loft beds on opposite sides of the room, both made out of a deep red mood--cherry, no doubt. Both beds faced the door and at the foot of each, a ladder ran up the height. Under both beds, there was a desk of the same cherry wood, and beside stood miniature bookshelves, no taller than the desks themselves. Coupled with the desks were large, black armchairs that looked particularly comfortable. The floor donned a dark gray carpet and the walls were pained a crimson red. The ceiling was exceptionally interesting though: It was dark blue and had white stars painted on it, some forming constellations. One the opposite wall between the two between the two beds was a large window with black curtains, and under it sat a table with two matching chairs.

Harry grinned and spotted that the desk on the right side was littered with parchment and books, and a loud snore came from the bunk. Thus, he assumed the left side of the room was his. He walked over, set his trunk in the corner, and turned in a circle to take in all the details of the room.

"Do you like it?" Evie asked hopefully, stepping up in front of him.

"I love it. It's brilliant," Harry moved his green eyes from the ceiling down to her. "Thank you. Could you give me a tour of the whole place now?"

"Sure," Evelynn replied, smiling happily at his excitement.

The pair worked their way back down the building with Evie describing everything. "This is the second floor. Through that door is just one big room, filled with chairs, sofas, and tables. After class and before dinner, everyone comes here to hang out with their friends."

"Kind of like the common room back at Hogwarts," Harry commented, peeking through the door at the empty room. "Only, we do our homework in the common room there too."

"I think it would be difficult to concentrate with five hundred other people talking," Evie giggled.

"Are the students not broken down into houses like Hogwarts?" Harry asked as if that would be the most sensible thing to do.

"Father considered it, but he doesn't think that it would be a good idea since there are so few students here as opposed to Hogwarts," Evie explained.

They descended the last flight of stairs. "This is the cafeteria where we have lunch and dinner. There are several lines, and you can pretty much just go get what you want. Salad, hamburgers, pizza, sloppy Joes, spaghetti, hot dogs."

Harry stared at her blankly for a moment. "I may need to have you explain American food to me later," He chuckled.

The curly-haired girl giggled and Harry added, more serious," What about breakfast?"

"House elves bring breakfast to your room. On Mondays, leave a piece of parchment on your table with your room number and what you want for the week," Evie elaborated on some breakfast meals that sounded more normal to him.

The passed by the courtyard through one of the glass hallways toward the other building. Evelynn showed him where the library and each class room was inside the larger of the two buildings.

Finally, after that tour, Harry returned to his room to unpack, regretfully leaving Evelynn. When he arrived in his new dorm room, however, his new roommate was awake.

"Hey there," He greeted Harry. "I'm Stephen." They shook hands and talked while Harry unpacked. Harry liked Stephen. He was a very down-to-earth person and comical individual. Stephen also had a cat named Bubbles, which Harry didn't mind, nor did Hedwig because Bubbles was much too lazy to bother her.

Stephen told Harry the story of how Bubbles got her name. Harry hadn't laughed so hard since Ron got his hand stuck in the couch of the Gryffindor Common Room a few weeks before.

Apparently, in his first year, Stephen found Bubbles as a little gray kitten behind the school. She kept blowing bubbles out of her nose and he thought she'd eaten soap out of the trash. Stephen almost drown the poor kitten trying to get the soap out of her nose before taking her to Nurse Elayna who said she had a cold. The gray tabby had been his ever since.

The rest of the day was just as fun and eventful. At lunch, Harry sat with Stephen and his friends. He saw Evelynn and waved to her; she smiled and returned the gesture but did not come over to talk or ask him to join her.

After lunch, everyone went to the Big Room and all of Stephen's friends took the time to ask Harry questions. Other people also came over just to greet him and inquire their thoughts.

By the time dinner came around, Harry was bushed, mostly because of the time difference, but partly because of the excitement the day had held. As much as he missed his friends and Hogwarts, his home, he was having a ton of fun. In fact, as soon as dinner was over, Harry went up to his room, climbed into his loft and went straight to sleep.

The next morning, Harry prepared his bag for second through fourth period classes since he had been excused from first for his sake. He also finished his breakfast and headed to the library before anyone else on the floor even left their beds.

The black-haired boy was amazed to find that he was not in the library long before Evelynn showed up. "I didn't expect you to be down here so early this morning," She said.

"I figured I would be here a while too. How come you came down so early?" Harry asked casually.

"I come here to think a lot," She said. "It's peaceful."

"What do you think about?" He asked, hoping she would not think he was prying.

"Lots of stuff," She replied. It seemed easy to talk to him. Besides, he'd be gone in a few months. What did he care what she said after he was gone? "I wonder what would have happened if my mom never disappeared. She's been gone since I was five. Would this school be here? ...I'm sorry, rattling on about myself. Tell me about your family."

"My family?" Harry wondered if they even knew about the incident with Voldemort here. "Umm... My parents were both killed. Murdered by Voldemort. Did they never teach you about the Dark Arts here?"

Evelynn's eyes got big. "You're Ha--Oh my god. Harry. Yes, we know about the Dark Lord, but I never put two and two together with your name. I'm so sorry."

"Its all right. You didn't offend me or anything. What happened to your mother?" He asked, not wanting to think about his own.

"No one knows. She was a muggle and my father a wizard, so no one known which community is responsible. I guess I turned out alright with just my dad. But, oh, I'm blabbing. You don't have either!" Evelynn said emotion-filled and on the brink of tears.

"Its okay. I try not to let it bother me anymore," Harry said, hugging her. Their embrace lasted a long time as they talked, but to Harry, it seemed like seconds. He didn't want to let go.

The two talked and talked, finding it easy to confide in the other. They apparently lost track of the time because just as the dinner bell rang from the large old grandfather clock, Evelynn's father came into the library looking none too happy.

"Where were you two? You missed classes all day!" He scolded.

"We were talking. I guess we lost track of the time. I'm sorry, Daddy," Evelynn said sincerely.

But Harry was not sorry. Not one bit.

****

Reviewer's Notes:

Pandora's Fallen: Thanks sis! :D

Sum1: Sorry about the Chapter 2 problem! It wasn't your computer, mine was doing to too. It was like that for like, two days so I deleted the chapter and uploaded it again and it works fine now. I'm glad you like it. :)

Luckyfiddler: Thank you. :D

HP-Scriptor/Lisa: That's kind of interesting! I actually used something I read in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to form the name; just a small detail I paid attention to. Page 82, it says "The Salem Witch's Institute". Well, I didn't want it to be an all-girl's school, so I switched it up a bit. ;) The RPG does sound cool though, but I'm not sure I really have the time to play. I did look at the website also.

Aerieia: Well, if you're not hooked, I'm sorry. The only thing I can say is keep reading. :p Unless, of course, you're the type that only reads the porn-filled fanfics, in which case, just pass mine up because that doesn't float my boat. :p

Shadow of The Black Abyss: I'm glad you enjoyed it, but don't worry, I'm switching the point of view between schools in every chapter. And don't worry, Harry will be plenty powerful in the end. :D

Lucifer's Garden: Katie, Katie, Katie. Tsk tsk. In all honesty, I can't stand that Draco-goodie-goodie crap. He's an ass, damnit! And an ass he shall be kept. :p And is updating the same day ASAP enough for you? :p


	4. Chapter 4: Hogwarts

Author's Note: Sorry this one took so long. Been kind of busy/preoccupied with family crap, school crap, crap crap. The works.

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To Reviewers:

sew2100-- I'm glad you liked the chapter and I'm sorry it took so long to get the next one up. Hope you like this one too.

Lucifer's Garden-- You know I still love you, Katie. :D

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Chapter Four

When Dominick arrived at Hogwarts, he concluded that it was definitely not what he would have expected in his wildest dreams. The anti-social teen was skeptical about the school's grandness, assuming that it was exaggerated and overrated like so many other things in this world. However, regardless of his prior expectations, the only emotion he could muster was pure awe.

The young man wondered if there was a change that perhaps he would make a friend at this new school; someone who would accept him as he was, rather than hate him for things they did not know anything about. The problem was that no one wanted to get to know him well enough for him to open up to them, and he refused to spill his entire existence to someone who didn't really care. It was like being stuck between a rock and a hard place with no way out. But coming here... could it offer an escape?

Dominick had no choice than to blame his parents for the way he turned out, dropping him off at the door of a muggle orphanage in the middle of a cold and snowy night. From his understanding of what the headmaster of the orphanage told him, his mother was a prostitute and his father was a gangly, pale, scarred man saying it was not safe for him to keep the baby Dom, but his mother did not want him. Based on his knowledge now, he assumed his father was an outcast wizard and werewolf, though he could not be sure. From his description and reasoning for resorting to a muggle whore, there was no other decent explanation. However, if he was a werewolf, why had the werewolf gene not been passed on to Dom?

Either way, he knew that the first step to a social life was speaking up. "Professor Dumbledore, is someone going to show me around the school? I think I'm going to get entirely lost if not."

"In due time, Dominick, in due time," the Headmaster smiled kindly at him.

The two walked across the grass of the courtyard and Dom glanced around the school. Large stone towers rose in the distance, five in all. The evening sun was lowering itself toward the crest of the earth to the west, behind the tallest of the towers.

"First," The Headmaster began," we eat." Dominick followed the tall, thin wizard into a breezeway that surrounded the courtyard, then though a side door beside two great double doors. The twin doors rose to the ceiling, perhaps forty feet up and were carved with an intricate design. The side door opened to a thin corridor, several door lining the left side. Finally, the hallway turned to the right and the pair passed that threshold.

The door emptied to a large platform where all of the teachers sat at a long table. Below the small raise of the platform was a great dining hall, stretching to the other side of the great carved doors he'd seen. Four long tables were evenly spaced through the hall, running long ways so that each had an end near the staff table.

"The students will join us shortly," Dumbledore said.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," A stone-faced witch with black hair tied into a bun greeted Dom.

The shy but sure young man greeted and shook hands with every teacher and faculty member. The entire lot seemed nice in such a way that made him feel even more comfortable and confident in speaking to his classmates when they arrived.

"Take a sear here for the time being, lad," The teacher he met as Professor McGonagall commanded kindly to him. Dominick sat there and waited a few minutes longer. Finally, the door creaked open and students began entering the hall in small groups that filed about to sit at different tables.

Minutes passed and finally all of the tabled filled up. The students chatted noisily, waiting for their dinner to be served. _Oh no. They're going to get pissed at me because I made them wait longer to have dinner. I can see them at that one table, glaring. Damnit, I haven't even gotten to speak to anyone and I'm already hated, _Dom bashing himself mentally. Finally, Dumbledore spoke up, breaking the new student's negative thoughts.

"As all of you know, our exchange student program has begun. This morning, young Mister Harry Potter departed for the Salem Institute, and this evening, young Mister Dominick Chase arrived," The old man gestured to Dominick before continuing.

"As all of us know but young Dom may not, Hogwarts divides its students into houses based on their strengths, weaknesses, and talents. The four are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now, we will place the sorting hat on your head and see to which house you belong.

The tall, bearded wizard set the sorting hat atop Dom's head, which muttered to himself for a moment before saying, "Gryffindor it is!" The middle-right table stood and applauded him, and Dumbledore motioned for him to join his house-mates. _Wow, its almost like they... want me here... _As he stepped off the platform, a boy his age with bright red hair scooted down on the wooden bench and motioned for Dom to sit next to him.

Dom sat and Dumbledore waved his hand. Plates of food appeared all down the table and the chatter of students and silverware began a drone echoing off the walls.

"So how're you--Dom, is it?" The redheaded boy asked, a roll in one hand.

"A little rushed, but that was expected," the American boy chuckled half-heartedly.

"I bet. I'm Ron. That there's Hermione and next to her, my sister Ginny," Ron motioned across the table at the two girls. It was definitely all too easy to figure out which was Ginny, since her hair color matched her brother's.

"Nice to meet you both," The black-haired teen nodded and the two females replied as politely.

"I'm a school prefect," Hermione said. "Dumbledore asked me to show you around the school. Since you got into Gryffindor, you'll take Harry's bed in the boys' dorm."

"When will you be able to show me?" Dominick questioned her.

"We could take him right after dinner," Ron suggested to Hermione who nodded in agreement.

After dinner, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny showed Dominick around the castle. The dungeon, library, towers, courtyard, Hagrid's hut, all of the classrooms, everything. The final stop, however, was Gryffindor tower. With wands aglow, they spent through the hole hit by the portrait of the Fat Lady who grunted in disgust that they were so late.

As late as it was, the Gryffindor common room was crowded with students doing their homework and talking to other students. Ron showed Dominick the dorm room and sat up there talking to him while he unpacked. Soon, the other Gryffindor boys headed to bed and greeted Dom along the way. The first night, Dom thought, held improvement from his former social status. It was then, falling asleep in the large, four-poster bed, that he realized something: He'd never had a girlfriend, and it was an empty part of his life.

The next morning at breakfast, Professor McGonagall stopped at the table to give Dominick his class schedule, saying that he would take Harry's place in all classes. This meant that he, Ron, and Hermione had Triple Potions first thing. His two new friends were sure to tell him the type of attitude that Snape had, but Snape was rather nice Dom, saying he preferred him over the fame-seeking Harry, but would like him better were he in Slytherin. Dom decided it best just not to pay this one any mind, since this one looked to be lacking one.

The day went by rather quickly to Dominick's surprise. He enjoyed spending all of his classes with Ron and Hermione, and was even more pleased to find that he got to group with Hermione on a class project--pairs doing reports for animagi for Transfiguration.

That evening after class was over and before dinner, Dom and Hermione went to the library to get some deep information on rarely known properties of animagi. In the middle of their research, however, they got sidetracked and ended up talking about their families; or in Dom's case, lack thereof.

Dominick never thought that he could tell anyone about his past, much less someone he'd know for 24 hours. But he found it incredibly easy to talk to Hermione, not to mention the fact that it all happened so fast, she already knew his entire life before he could shut his mouth. But Hermione didn't laugh at him. She didn't get up and leave, not wanting to associate with a parentless freak. She was... supportive. Something no one had ever been to the young man.

"I know its not easy," Hermione said. "Harry grew up without his parents also, though, no matter how questionable their intentions, he did have his aunt and uncle. You had... no one."

Dom only nodded.

"I can only imagine how terrible that must've been for you," She said, leaning over in the chair to give him a comforting hug. He hugged her back and caught the smell of her hair, catching his breath as he held it in.

That night, Dominick went to bed in the giant four-poster thinking about something new: He had a crush on Hermione.


End file.
